Assessing Allegations Of Sexual Abuse In Preschool Children

`It was a pleasure to read Sandra Hewitt's book because she obviously writes from an in-depth experience of working with young children. Her book also communicates a passionate concern that professionals need to understand and listen properly to children and avoid viewing the stressful area of child protection mainly from an adult perspective' - Children and SocietyWritten to help frontline practitioners assess and manage cases with children aged 18 months to six years who present with allegations of child abuse, this book provides concrete and easily understood information about basic child development, interview procedures and case management theory.Extensive experience is integrated with the research literature to provide: an overview of child development information as it applies to interviewing young children; a protocol for assessment of preverbal children that is grounded in theory and research; a format for assessment of children aged three to five; a review of the strengths and weaknesses of some current interview formats; a technique for structured interviewing; and a procedure for structured reunification of a child with an alleged abuser after unproven allegations. Case examples are used throughout the book.

The editors of this collection are experienced practitioners and teachers of forensic psychology. They have collected chapters written by nationally and internationally respected experts in applied research and practice to provide others with their best advice and knowledge on conducting evaluations for and testifying in court.

It is important for society that the backlash does not result in the reburial of the problem of child sexual abuse. ‘True and False Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse’ represents an important contribution to that effort. This book is about conducting evaluations of allegations of child sexual abuse that take into account research knowledge and practice wisdom. It is not a cookbook about how to do evaluations. Rather, it provides a great deal of food for thought and is aimed at child abuse professionals who can critically read and test the material against their experiences in the field. It includes a wide spectrum of information, approaches, and opinions about child sexual abuse evaluation.

Evaluating allegations of child sexual abuse is a complicated task in which evaluators can do great harm to individuals and families if they ignore ethical principles or scientific knowledge. If you are currently evaluating child sexual abuse allegations (or considering conducting such evaluations), this book is an essential addition to your professional library.In this critically acclaimed work, Dr. Kuehnle provides essential information on ethically and professionally appropriate procedures for conducting such evaluations.

Mental health and legal professionals struggle daily with complex challenges presented by allegations that a parent has sexually abused a child. The majority of these cases involve children who cannot or will not verbally disclose the abuse. This pioneering volume describes a technique that has proven highly effective for evaluation and clarification in such difficult, emotionally laden cases of child sexual abuse. This technique, the Kempe Interactional Assessment for Parent-Child Sexual Abuse, facilitates the emergence of reliable data without the pressure of directly questioning the child. Children Speak for Themselves About Sexual Abuse examines the history, rationale, protocol, and theoretical bases for Interactional Assessment and describes in detail the skills that are required and tasks that must be completed by the clinician in order to use International Assessment accurately and effectively. Firmly rooted in attachment theory, Interactional Assessment is based on the fact that even preverbal and nonverbal children do speak for themselves about experiences with important people in their lives. By accurately recognizing, understanding, and translating children's communication, this method makes available for clinical and legal professionals crucial, firsthand information that might otherwise be ignored. In this book, you'll learn how Interactional Assessment is comprised of three parts: a clinical interview with each parent in the presence of the child, videotaped observations of parent-child interactions, and an individual play interview with the child. Children Speak for Themselves About Sexual Abuse presents highly detailed case illustrations that demonstrate the various ways that children communicate their experiences of sexual abuse and provide insight into how sexually abusing relationships develop and are maintained within a family system. These case studies also clearly illustrate the value of Interactional Assessment where other techniques may not be effective particularly when allegations involve young children, children caught up in an acrimonious divorce, or when the outcry is filtered through untreated survivors. The volume also examines how Interactional Assessment can provide crucial clinical data about the qualities and dynamics of a family relationship that can reliably distinguish between sexually and non-sexually abusive relationships. Finally, the book addresses evidentiary and practical considerations for court presentations of utmost importance since professionals must not only offer evidence that is clinically reliable, but must be prepared to meet and withstand the rigors of increasingly adversarial legal proceedings. This volume will provide clinicians, attorneys, and other professionals involved in decision-making with a reliable clinical procedure that can not only easily reveal available data but can also help to uncover more covert information and verify whether abuse has occurred and by whom.

A core issue for professionals responsible for addressing sexual abuse is how to correctly identify cases. Interviewing Children About Sexual Abuse: Controversies and Best Practice critically reviews the research and practice on the spectrum of issues related to interviewing the sexually abused child. Its chapters cover all the most important topics that interviewers must keep in mind, from the accuracy of children's memories to appropriate types of questions to include to the use of interview aids, and within each chapter is a comprehensive review of research and practice, leading to conclusions that can be used to guide practice in this most sensitive of assignments.

This seminal book in the literature of child protective services stimulates critical thinking and informed discussion for those professionals and educators concerned with the quality of children’s protective services. The first book of its kind to present scholarly reports on false allegations, Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports tackles the age-old problem of deciding which reports, verbal or written, represent truth and which represent falsehood. When one deals with accusations in the area of child maltreatment, special problems are posed. This vital resource brings home the complexity and seriousness of confronting the need to separate true reports from false reports. Given the serious consequences of reports of maltreatment, determining the accuracy or inaccuracy of such reports is of major critical importance to all concerned and the parents, children, and professionals directly involved. This book deals effectively and practically with the everyday work of assessing the validity and reliability of maltreatment reports and guides professionals through rough waters of finding truth with helpful research. This courageous book provides hope for establishing a deeper understanding of the broad system of child protection and consequently, enables professionals to better handle individual crises and cases. Containing a range of chapters--authored by leading academic researchers and practitioners in child welfare services in the United States--which examine the policy and practice issues related to false allegations of child abuse and neglect, this volume provides guideposts for further research and discussion. College and university students in child welfare and related programs, human service practitioners working in child protective and welfare services, and the larger public--both parents and professionals working with children--who have an interest in this important issue, will find Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports a compassionate approach to a sensitive issue.